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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23875330">Where We Left Off</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLuckandHerBlackCat/pseuds/LadyLuckandHerBlackCat'>LadyLuckandHerBlackCat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, love is blind</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:01:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,365</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23875330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLuckandHerBlackCat/pseuds/LadyLuckandHerBlackCat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! I'm new to the fanfic game, but I've loved MLB and wanted to write a fanfic for them for so long! This one is a little more real and angsty than the canon material, but with season four on the way, I'm pretty sure the show is going to get more angsty as well. Everything is season 3 is canon here, I'm trying to stick to the source material, but the focus is on the love square. The only two things that are excluded from this narrative are Felix and Lila - I hate them too much to write about them. </p><p>I was going to have this be multiple chapters, but graduate school is a bit crazy and I didn't want people desperately waiting for something. So for now, it's just a single chapter. </p><p>Please leave comments, suggestions, critique...etc. I'd love to get feedback!</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Where We Left Off</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! I'm new to the fanfic game, but I've loved MLB and wanted to write a fanfic for them for so long! This one is a little more real and angsty than the canon material, but with season four on the way, I'm pretty sure the show is going to get more angsty as well. Everything is season 3 is canon here, I'm trying to stick to the source material, but the focus is on the love square. The only two things that are excluded from this narrative are Felix and Lila - I hate them too much to write about them. </p><p>I was going to have this be multiple chapters, but graduate school is a bit crazy and I didn't want people desperately waiting for something. So for now, it's just a single chapter. </p><p>Please leave comments, suggestions, critique...etc. I'd love to get feedback!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette rested her head on Luka’s shoulder. Enjoying those fleeting moments of peace and calm in her hectic life. The sun had sunk lower and most of her friends had gone home, but she wasn’t ready to leave the tranquility of the warm spring air and Luka gently strumming his song for her on the guitar. Opening her eyes, she realized the music had stopped and Luka was peering down at her with a look of love. Extending her neck up, she kissed his cheek and he went back to his strumming.</p><p>Earlier that day, she had decided that she could no longer pursue Adrien. He only thought of her as a friend anyway. She wanted him to be happy even if it wasn’t with her. She didn’t want to stand of the way of Kagami’s happiness either – so she settled – well not settled for Luka. She really liked him and he liked her and she didn’t have to be constantly fighting for his attention. She had dozed off when Luka called her name.</p><p>“5 more minutes,” she murmured into his shoulder and snuggled a bit closer. Luka chuckled but poked her cheek until she sleepily raised her head.</p><p>“It always amazes me how you can sleep just about anywhere, Marinette – maybe you should go a bit easier on yourself,” he said.</p><p>“Maybe” yawning and stretching, she stood up and offered her hand to Luka. After standing, she tried to move her hand away, but instead, he held it close as they crossed the bridge back to the bakery. Marinette didn’t breathe the whole way – thinking that if she so much as took in a molecule of oxygen that she would combust.</p>
<hr/><p>Kagami had her hand in Adrien’s as they rode home. Adrien’s ears were a bit red, but Kagami sat there as if their intertwined fingers were the most natural position for them. When they arrived at Kagami’s house, she leaned over and chastely kissed his lips. Adrien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.</p><p>“See at fencing tomorrow?” She asked as she scooted out the door.</p><p>“Y-y-you bet! You’ll probably kiss -I mean to kick my butt because I’ll be too distracted.”</p><p>“Distracted by what?”</p><p>“My girlfriend.” At this Kagami blushed and looked away shyly. With a warm smile, she shut the door and as they pulled away Adrien looked back to see her waving at the car.</p><p>Without her there the seat felt emptier and his mind began to wander. He thought through the events of the day – hiding in the Le Grand Palais with Marinette and Kagami, the battles, Kagami’s confession, and Ladybug’s moment of weakness. Fidgetting with his ring, he mostly thought of his lady. Her cleverness and kindness –how it felt to hold her in his arms as she cried. Staring at his hand, despite it still being warm from Kagami's, he still wished to hold Ladybug’s.<em> Maybe Plagg is right and I need to move on to someone more real. She can never love me back</em>.</p><p>Trying to control his tears, he silently apologized to his lady love and promised that he would drop his suit of her once and for all. He made another promise and quietly determined that he would best, sweetest boyfriend that Kagami could ever wish for. If only that would fill the aching in his heart.</p>
<hr/><p>Spring Midterms came and went. Summer was drawing nearer and nearer and all the students could feel the excitement in the air. They would be moving onto lycée next year – it’s a good thing at François Dupont that student moved as a cohort. So, Adrien was glad that all his classmates would still be around. He would miss their smiling faces during the summer though – to celebrate the start of summer, Nino and him already had plans to go Disneyland Paris with Alya. Kagami’s mother refused to let her go – strict as ever. Adrien only could go if Monsieur Gorille went with them. Marinette couldn’t go because her boyfriend’s other band, Les Frères des Liberties, were playing at a battle of the bands. Adrien felt a pang of loneliness at the thought of Marinette not going.</p><p>During lunch break today, Adrien decided to grab from bread and cheese from a cafe and eat in the park with Ladybug and Chat Noir’s statue in it. While he ate, sneaking a few pieces of camembert in his bag for Plagg, he wrote a bit of poetry. Well, tried was probably the better word. He hadn’t really written much since Valentine’s day and he wanted to write something for Kagami, her birthday was coming up and he wanted to make sure he had enough time to get it right.</p><p>Every so often, he would look at the animated metallic face of his lady and sigh. 30 minutes passed and Adrien had no words to make up a poem – he just kept doodling ladybugs on the margins of his notebook. Leaning back his head, he just sighed and closed his eyes. It’s been over a month since he made his silent promise to Kagami and he already felt like he was failing. He can’t even write her something as simple as a poem, but he’s written so many about Ladybug.</p><p>“Um…Adrien?” His eyes flew open to see Marinette. He had almost hoped that his Lady would appear. <em>Wishful thinking</em>.</p><p>His superhero instincts had him tense up, but his muscles relaxed as he watched Marinette fidget a bit with her purse and look at him with concern. “Oh, hey Marinette.” He answered with a warm smile, closing his notebook. He could try again with the poem later.</p><p>“I was walking back to school from lunch and I saw you were asleep. I thought I’d make sure you were ok,” She said with concern still in her blue eyes. He felt warm when he thought about Marinette’s friendship and kindness.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a lot of my mind ya know.” Standing he bumped into her playfully and asked if she would mind escorting him back to school. She giggled and bumped him back. They talk a bit for that short walk about the anime line up for the rest of the year.</p><p>He had learned that she loved the art styles and felt inspired by traditional Japanese and Chinese fashions. She showed him a tuxedo suit jacket she made from a thrift-store black kimono.</p><p>“Did you watch the newest trailer for the Demon Slayer Infinity Train arc? It’s going to be incredible!” she gushed. “Luka said he’ll buy the tickets as soon as they go on sale so that I don’t have anyone spoil it for me AGAIN.” She eyed him suspiciously.</p><p>After that day at the Bourgeoise’s anniversary party, she was a lot calmer and more playful around him. She hardly stammered anymore.</p><p>“Didn’t you read the manga?” He asked, amused at the grumpy face she made. He wasn’t his fault that she had never seen Fullmetal Alchemist. She cried and wouldn’t talk to him for three days over Maes Hughes.</p><p>“Yes, but you never know what creative liberties the directors will make! That’s some of the best parts.”</p><p>“Very true. Mind if I come to see it with you guys? No else is really interested. Nino likes more American-based stuff.” He stopped outside their classroom. They had a few minutes between the second half of the day’s classes began.</p><p>“Why not see it with Kagami?” Marinette asked.</p><p>“I don’t really know if she would like it. She’s very traditional – I’m not even sure if she’s ever watched any anime at all.”</p><p>“You would think being from Japan, she would have seen some at least.” Marinette shrugged. “Should never assume things about people just because of their culture. So many people assume I speak Mandarin just because I'm half Chinese.  Anyway, we can text about the dates later – the trailers said it releases in October, so we got plenty of time. Maybe we can get Kagami interested in the series by then!” She smiled at the idea of spending more time with her newest friend.</p><p>As she turned away, she missed Adrien’s look of warmth in her direction.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Phew! That's the first very short chapter! I hope to write longer chapters and more plot, but we all must start somewhere, right?<br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
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